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Coyotes-Wolves-Cougars.blogspot.com

Grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, coyotes, cougars/ mountain lions,bobcats, wolverines, lynx, foxes, fishers and martens are the suite of carnivores that originally inhabited North America after the Pleistocene extinctions. This site invites research, commentary, point/counterpoint on that suite of native animals (predator and prey) that inhabited The Americas circa 1500-at the initial point of European exploration and subsequent colonization. Landscape ecology, journal accounts of explorers and frontiersmen, genetic evaluations of museum animals, peer reviewed 20th and 21st century research on various aspects of our "Wild America" as well as subjective commentary from expert and layman alike. All of the above being revealed and discussed with the underlying goal of one day seeing our Continent rewilded.....Where big enough swaths of open space exist with connective corridors to other large forest, meadow, mountain, valley, prairie, desert and chaparral wildlands.....Thereby enabling all of our historic fauna, including man, to live in a sustainable and healthy environment. - Blogger Rick

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Thursday, November 25, 2010

Inflamation of the heart valve killing Alaska Sea Otters...........what is causing the inflamation to occur?.....you can click on video at the end of the article below to watch the tv news report on this dilemma

Scientists working to understand otter population decline

 By Jackie Bartz Channel 2 News


ANCHORAGE, Alaska
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is looking into what's killing hundreds of otters off the coasts of Alaska.This year scientists have dissected 80 sea otters.   In some areas of southwest Alaska, sea otter populations have dropped by 90 percent.
The decline has prompted the Fish and Wildlife Service to list the species as threatened and designate thousands of miles as critical habitat.
Scientists say the most common cause of death they see is inflammation of the heart valve, but there are a whole host of other bacteria and viruses they find.

"As far as the numbers, sea otters are really the best sentinels as to what is going on. We can ship them to different parts of the state; they are very sensitive to a lot of different diseases, so they can pick it up," said Kathy Burek, Alaska Veterinary Pathology Services.
In 2008, a Fish and Wildlife Service study showed an increase in some otter populations. One of those populations is in homer.
 CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO WATCH VIDEO EXPLAINING WHAT IS KNOWN OF THE OTTER DECLINE
http://www.ktuu.com/videobeta/5659ed90-fc35-470c-bf7c-80a2f8df2f6f/News/Scientists-trying-to-find-cause-of-declining-otter-population

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